TAG Heuer is a renowned Swiss watchmaker with a rich heritage spanning over a century. Founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, this luxury brand has consistently pushed the boundaries of horology, merging innovation with precision craftsmanship. TAG Heuer is celebrated for its avant-garde spirit and its commitment to creating timepieces that excel in both form and function.
Here at WE Clark Watch Repairs we are delighted to announce our workshop is a Tag Heuer Authorised Workshop. This means we have been assessed by Tag Heuer and deemed suitably equipped and with the requisite skills to repair a whole variety of Tag Heuer watches.
From relatively simple interventions such as watch battery replacement with new seals and pressure testing (at up to 300m) to full servicing of Tag Heuer movements such as the Calibre 5 and Calibre 16, we are able to obtain genuine Tag Heuer parts direct from the manufacturer and repair your watch.
All Tag Heuer repairs are completed using the manufacturer approved tooling to their specified standards.
We are also able to obtain a whole range of case parts, such as replacement crowns, bezels, glasses, and pushers.
Cartier is a renowned luxury brand known for its exquisite jewellery and watches. The history of Cartier watches spans over a century and is marked by innovation, elegance, and a strong commitment to craftsmanship. From its humble beginnings in Paris to its status as a global icon, Cartier has established itself as one of the most prestigious watch brands in the world.
The story of Cartier watches dates back to 1847 when Louis-François Cartier took over his master’s workshop in Paris. Initially, the focus of the brand was primarily on jewellery, but it wasn’t long before watches became an integral part of the Cartier offering. In 1904, Louis Cartier, the grandson of the founder, designed the first wristwatch for his friend, the famous aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. This revolutionary creation, known as the Santos de Cartier, was one of the earliest wristwatches made for men and marked the beginning of Cartier’s dominance in the watchmaking industry.
The success of the Santos de Cartier was followed by other iconic timepieces that cemented Cartier’s reputation as a pioneer in watch design. In 1917, the Tank watch was introduced, inspired by the shape of armoured military tanks used during World War I. Tank watch became an instant classic and over the years Cartier expanded its watch collection with various iterations of the Tank, including the Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Française, and Tank Américaine.
Cartier’s commitment to craftsmanship and innovation continued to drive its watchmaking endeavours. In the 1920s-30s the brand developed its line of mystery clocks, which featured hands that appeared to float on the dial without any visible connection to the movement. This optical illusion captivated the world and soon found its way into Cartier’s watches. The Mystery Clocks inspired the creation of the Mystery Watch, where the hands seemed to float magically on the dial. These timepieces showcased Cartier’s technical prowess and artistic finesse.
In the mid-20th century, Cartier collaborated with esteemed watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre which resulted in Jaeger-Le-Coultre produced watches sold and branded as Cartier. Cartier has a long history with Jaeger-Le-Coultre – in the early part of the century Cartier had an exclusivity agreement to use their movements for well over a decade.
In modern times Cartier continues to innovate and create extraordinary timepieces. The brand has incorporated various complications into its watches, such as chronographs, tourbillons, and perpetual calendars. Additionally, Cartier has expanded its watchmaking expertise to include fine watchmaking pieces, which combine haute horlogerie techniques with artistic creativity.
Throughout its history, Cartier watches have adorned the wrists of royalty, celebrities, and discerning individuals worldwide. The brand’s commitment to quality, precision, and timeless design has made it a symbol of luxury and sophistication. From the iconic Tank and Santos de Cartier to the high complication watches, Cartier’s timepieces have become coveted collector’s items.
Do you have a Cartier watch in need of repair? Get in touch and see how we can help. Our fully equipped, in-house workshop and highly trained watchmakers are able to repair almost any make and model of watch, modern or vintage. We offer a fully insured freepost repairs service, as well as the option to drop repairs off in-person via our showrooms in Lewes and Uckfield, Sussex. We are Business Partners of the British Horological Institute and holders of a coveted Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award – testament to the quality of our work and the service we provide.
Some pocket watches are far more than mere instruments of timekeeping. These mechanical marvels encapsulate history, craftsmanship, and nostalgia. Our meticulous process of disassembly, cleaning, and delicate repair, is often most challenging but also rewarding when we work on unusual vintage pieces, or those in particularly poor condition. This IWC Jump Hour pocket watch is certainly something we don’t see every day. The time is displayed in a digital style – with hours and minutes represented by numbers rather than hands pointing to numbers on the dial. This is a “Jump Hour” watch – meaning there isn’t a continuously moving hour indicator, the number jumps over to the next hour when the minutes change from “59” to “00”.
This watch was produced between 1885-1895, so it is over 130 years old. A similar steel-cased example with the same movement can be found in the British Museum’s collection. They describe the movement in remarkable detail, but to summarise: it is of excellent quality. Features include a club-toothed lever escapement, bi-metallic thermo-compensating balance and pin-set positive keyless works.
On arrival, this watch was in poor condition, with the bezel completely loose, a missing glass, and damage to the enamel dial. It needed careful restoration to get it back to excellent working order.
It’s important to be considered during a restoration like this. We must balance a number of factors including our client’s wishes, the reality of what’s feasible, and respecting the history and provenance of the watch in question. With this in mind, Works completed include full servicing, repair, and restoration of the movement, a sympathetic polish of the gold case, sourcing and fitting a new glass, and a repair where the enamel dial was broken.
It’s always a privilege to work on pieces like this – The end results really do speak for themselves. Another wonderful piece of history restored back to excellent working order for our delighted client.
Oris is a renowned Swiss watch company with a rich history spanning over a century. Established in 1904 by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian in Hölstein, Oris began as a manufacturer of pocket watches. Over time, the company transitioned to producing wristwatches and gained recognition for their reliable and accurate timepieces.
In the 1920s, Oris introduced their first in-house movement, marking a significant milestone in their watchmaking expertise. Throughout the following decades, Oris expanded its product range and innovated with various mechanical complications, including alarm functions, chronographs, and world timers.
Today, Oris remains committed to traditional watchmaking craftsmanship while incorporating modern design elements, and continues to be celebrated for its exceptional quality, precision, and dedication to the art of horology. The brand has become more visible in recent years, in part thanks to sponsorship deals with the Williams F1 team and most recently in cricket with the MCC.
The model we have for repair is one of their classics – a Big Crown. As the name would suggest, the big crown indeed has a big crown! This model was designed for aviators and the large crown means the watch can be set while wearing gloves.
On arrival with us the watch is working, albeit poorly. On our timegrapher we can see the amplitude is very low and the timekeeping is erratic. Inspection of the movement shows dried oils and greases, so a full service and new mainspring is in order.
This watch uses an ETA 2824-2 movement – one of the more common good quality Swiss watch movements. This is a 25 jewel automatic movement and Oris customise their version with a bright red rotor which is visible through a clear exhibition case back.
The watch is completely stripped down before the movement parts are thoroughly cleaned. Parts are cleaned twice – both by hand and then using a specialist watch movement cleaning machine. We o this to ensure everything is in good order and as clean as we can possibly make it.
After cleaning, the rebuild and oiling of the mechanism can begin. Different oils and greases are used in different parts of the mechanism. We follow the manufacturers’ guidance for this, including the use of epilame treatment on a number of parts to prevent the spread of oils.
The case and bracelet are given a thorough ultrasonic clean and we can then reassemble the complete watch. After pressure testing for water resistance, this excellent Oris Big Crown is ready to go on our automatic watch testing machine as part of its final testing before release to our client.
The watch with us for repair today is a Tag Heuer Carrera. The first Carrera watches came onto the market in the mid-1960s. The model is named after the Carrera Panamerica race – so Carrera watches are rooted in motor racing and sports.
This particular model is relatively modern – from within the past 20 years – and uses a Tag calibre 5 movement. This is a Tag Heuer customised version of the ETA 2824-2, a 25 jewel automatic movement which is used extensively in good quality Swiss watches.
Initial inspection revealed the watch to be working but with low amplitude and poor timekeeping. The movement clearly hadn’t been serviced in many years, though nothing appeared to be broken. A full service and new mainspring was needed to restore this watch back to excellent working order.
To service a watch it is completely stripped down before the movement parts are thoroughly cleaned. We clean parts both by hand and then using our Elma specialist watch movement cleaning machine – this way we can be certain everything is in good order and as clean as we can possibly make it.
After cleaning, rebuilding and oiling of the mechanism begins. We use a range of oils and greases to lubricate the different parts of the watch movement as per the manufacturers technical guidance. Once the movement is complete, the dial and hands are refitted, we are then ready for the final casing up.
With the watch cased up we conduct a final test on the timegrapher before closing the case back and pressure testing for water resistance. Our Sigma pressure testing machine is capable of testing watches up to a rating of 300m – more than sufficient for this model.
Do you have a Tag Heuer Carrera watch in need of repair? Get in touch and see how we can help. We are watch repair specialists and experts in the repair of both modern and vintage watches. We hold a parts account with Tag Heuer, so we have access to the full range of Tag Heuer case and bracelet parts, including genuine Tag Heuer replacement glasses, bezels and crowns.
